This Green Cities campaign runs in thirteen cities throughout Europe. Its main focus is to keep looking for (new) solutions to encourage the greening of public spaces within these cities, by providing innovative ideas, with information based on scientific research and technical expertise. Of course, it is no rocket science that having trees and plants around us makes us happier and healthier, but greening cities also has a positive effect on the biodiversity and the property value in a neighborhood. 

The initiative is supported by the European Union and focuses on several themes: health, climate, the economy, biodiversity and social cohesion. In the Netherlands, Green Cities was first coined in 2002, at the Floriade Expo, when the philosophy was introduced. This was the first time people were specifically made aware of the added value of greening our surroundings. Now, twenty years later, it’s not just about the appearance, but about the influence on for example productivity and our mental health as well. This is one of the reasons Brussels (EU) supports the Green Cities campaign financially, so their knowledge can be shared.

Every year, the European Commission rewards a city that has ambitious objectives on environment and sustainable development with the title European Green Capital of the Year. For 2022, the title is awarded to Grenoble, a lovely city in the French Alps. We went down there to talk to Gilles Namur, deputy mayor of the city of Grenoble, on what the city is doing to become greener and why it is important for them to make the change.